Monday 27 April 2015

Little Robin Read: To-Read Book Pile

Well hello there!

I've been having a little break from blogging lately. It seems I lost my blogging mojo over the Easter break, and since then a few things have distracted me. Hopefully I'm back for good now!

This morning the first thing I saw was the stack of books I've got waiting for me once I've finished Bring Up the Bodies (it's amazing, as expected).

Book selection
Spoilt for choice!

As I'd like to review all of these books, I wanted to give you a little sneak preview of what the books are so you can follow me on my Journey of Geekdom.

I'll probably add more books to this list as we go along, but hey ho. Here's the pile as it stands:

 1) Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
I want to see the film version of this as well...not sure how I'll feel about it but I'm keeping an open mind

Suite Francaise front cover

2) The Search for Richard III by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones
If you read this blog at all, you'll know I'm a massive History geek. I loved watching the drama unfold around the discovered remains of Richard III and his reburial. I bought this book while watching the reintermnet...yes, I'm a total nerd. Embrace it.

The Search for Richard III front cover

3) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I have always meant to get round to reading this. With all the hype around Harper Lee's new novel, this gave me the kick up the bum to actually get myself a copy. Hope it's not been too built up for me!

To Kill a Mockingbird front cover

4) Amy Snow by Tracy Rees
This was an impulse buy. I just liked the look of it, and after reading the blurb, I was intrigued. If you want to know more, you'll have to read my review ;)

Amy Snow front cover

5) The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Another impulse buy, I was lured in by the cover (yes, shallow - don't judge me). This sounds really intriguing...again, you'll have to read my review. Keep your eyes peeled!

The Miniaturist front cover

I'm really excited to read these books. I usually read books recommended to me by others which can lead to a fairly limited selection, but I'm trying to branch out and try new things. I'll let you know how I get on!

If you've got any recommendations comment below and let me know...

Bye for now :)


Wednesday 8 April 2015

Race for Life Training Week 3

Well hello there :) Happy Easter to one and all!

Race for Life Banner

Okay, so last week was a bit of a write-off when it came to race training...it was Easter so OBVIOUSLY I was going to slack off and attempt Death by Chocolate....don't pretend you didn't do the same!

Matilda Chocolate Cake Eating Gif


Back on the wagon this week.

I'll be honest, after 4 blissful days off work catching up with people I've not seen for a while, I'm struggling to find motivation for anything that doesn't involve chocolate and lounging in the sunshine. (Down with work booo!) I've even gotten lazy with blogging but what else are holidays for?

One Does Not Simply Eat One Easter Egg meme

I went for my first post-Easter run yesterday and noticed how stiff my thighs had become in the space of four short days, even though I've still been walking a little. This just goes to show how important it is to keep exercising and stretching in order to keep the fitness up. The run itself was fine, and I'm really pleased with how quickly my body is becoming accustomed to running longer distances.

My foot's been playing up something awful - yes, after six weeks of ditching the Primark Chelsea boots, I'm still having joint pain in my foot! Methinks a new pair of trainers will help with this.

Anyway, here's what this week's training schedule looks like:

Mon: Rest day, adventures with Mr Robin!

Tues: 5km run on hill setting on treadmill (29 mins), followed by 6km cross trainer in 25 mins

Weds: Rest day

Thurs: 1.6km jog, then fast run for 2 mins, recover with 2 minute jog = repeat 4 times then jog 1.6km to cool down; followed by strength training for 30 mins

Fri: Rest day

Sat: 7.25km run (3.29km easy pace, 4km race pace)

Sun: Rest day

Well and truly back on track this week - in more ways than one! Wish me luck! Or sponsor me if you like!

Bye for now :)


Saturday 4 April 2015

Race for Life Training Week 2!

Well hello there :)

This week marks the second week of my training for the Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research UK.
I'll be running the 10K with my friend Rebecca, and as I've never run a proper race before I'm slightly pooping myself.

Race for Life Cancer Research UK banner


I've decided to alternate my training weeks from intense to milder training, as I'm not used to running and have been having some joint pains (old lady problems). I've also started taking Omega 3 fish oils as these are really good for protecting the joint cartilage when doing high impact exercise.

As it's the Easter weekend and I've had loads to prepare for, I've not had as much time as I would have like to train this week. Next week I'll be fully back on the wagon (and will probs need to be after all those Easter eggs! Mmmmm fattening....)

So here's what this week's admittedly meagre training looked like:

Monday: 11.6km cycle in 20 mins on Cardio settings, followed by an hour's Zumba class and 10 minutes on the Cross Trainer

Tuesday: 11.5km cycle in 20 mins on Fat Burn settings followed by one hour's Yoga session

Weds, Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun: Rest Days/Easter/Gorging myself on as much chocolate as is possible for one human being to consume....naughty naughty!

Happy Easter everyone!

Bye for now :)